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Steady as She Films: Panzica’s America’s Cup Doc
by Jay Randy Gordon and Doniphan Blair
Oracle's majestic 72 footers breach the Golden Gate. photo: courtesy GGYC"IF THIS CUP DOESN'T RUNNETH OVER, IT
runneth faster than hell!”
The Bay Area is currently hosting the 34th America's Cup with the Louis Vuitton Cup preliminaries until August 30th and the actual finals September 7-21. In an event where there are no silver medals and the winning team takes home the oldest—and one of the most coveted trophies—in international sports, the stakes are high.
"We have had some 'interesting' times with this America's Cup challenge," winked P.J. Panzica, the director of "The America's Cup: 150 Years In The Making" (2013), when we spoke to her recently.
"The 72 [footer]s are amazing machines—the leading class of racing yachts in the world. 72 feet in length, the wing sails are 130 feet high—the equivalent of a 13-story building. They are very exciting to watch," she said. Although Panzica completed her film a couple of years ago, she updated it to include the 72s currently sailing the San Francisco Bay.
Ironically, although the America's Cup was sold as a fabulous feather-in-the-cap and money-maker for the Bay Area, attendance is down. The number of challengers has dropped from the usual over a dozen to only three Louis Vuitton competitors. This is because the defender, the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) and its sponsor, Oracle of Silicon Valley, have significantly upped the high tech ante.
The modest clubhouse of the Golden Gate Yacht Club where much of this year's America's Cup strategy was hatched. photo: R. GordonUntil recently the GGYC, located in a modest yellow building in the San Francisco Marina, was a little known club in financial straights. In a dramatic turnaround—because clubs not captains, boats or owners are what compete for The Cup— Oracle showed up and—poof!—they were ushered onto the world stage. To compete you need 150-200 people and at least three boats, built to the ever-changing specs of the race, hence, massive money is a must.
Although it certainly seems like Oracle-CEO Larry Ellison "sabotaged his own America Cup party," as Bloomberg Businessweek and others have said, "Part of the America's Cup is pushing the tech curve and the envelope 'til it can't go any further," explained P.J. (which stands for Paula Jean; the Panzica is simply Sicilian).
Basically, the defender and the primary challenger decide on the next race's rules, the boat specs and the schedule, usually about two years in advance so syndicates have time to build out. Meanwhile there are all sorts of sub-races, like the Louis Vuitton, currently featuring 45 footers, which are still incredible to watch, especially given there are so many boats in the water at once.
The 72-footer, however, IS a whole 'nother ball game. Hence there are only three qualifying challengers, Italy's Luna Rossa, New Zealand's Emirates and Sweden's Artemis which was in doubt for a while due to the drowning of a key crewmember, British Olympics Medalist, Andrew “Bart” Simpson, in May. (Update: Italy knocked out Sweden on Aug 10).
Similarly, there are not that many good shows about the America's Cup. The over-20 year-old Hollywood offering, "Wind" (1992) has good actors, Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey, and an appropriate tagline—"Winning IS Everything!"—but a less than stellar script.
Larry Ellison winning the America's Cup in Spain, 2010. photo: courtesy OracleThe 2010 Cup, where the GGYC-BMW-Oracle boat beat the Swiss with a beautiful trimaran, was documented in "The Wind Gods: 33rd America's Cup" (2013) which debuted to an invitation-only crowd in May at San Francisco's Pier 27. Made by Mt. Philo Films and SkyDance Productions, which is run by Ellison's son, David, it smacks of winners rewriting history, although narrated by the mellifluous master Jeremy Irons, it's still pretty good.
"The Wind Gods" dovetails nicely with the recent release of “The Billionaire and the Mechanic,” by SF Chronicle writer Julian Guthrie. It is a fascinating read about Norbert Bajurin, a former cop and radiator repairman who became the Commodore of GGYC, and Ellison as they set their sites on taking down the Swiss and their rule-rigging, egomaniac and billionaire skipper Ernesto Bertarelli in Spain in 2010.
"Few people achieve really high levels of success without a strong ego," explained Panzica, a striking and charismatic blond who is probably not unfamiliar with such issues. "Before I did the America's Cup, I thought I don't want to be around these egos. But once you are on board, it is part of what makes it exciting."
In addition to her film, the event's sponsors, Red Bull and Nespresso, have released several shorts with unique insights on what it takes to win The Cup. OneWorldOneOcean.org has partnered with The Cup to show eco-awareness vignettes throughout the event and then do a large ocean protection media campaign. Even Tom Cruise and son Connor got in on the act with the odds-on Louis Vuitton favorites, the Kiwis.
Norbert Bajurin, the mechanic of 'The Billionaire and the Mechanic' fame, now Commodore of the GGYC, with his infamous radiators. photo: courtesy C. Lee/SF ChronicleBut for a definitive and balanced look at the facts and egos with an even more baritone narrator—Walter Cronkite, in one of his last projects before his death in 2009—the winner is Panzica's "The America's Cup."
Although the winners try to tell the story, Panzica counters with fact. A fast moving survey, her film nails down the sometimes despicable truths about a sport where the rules are invented and then circumvented, usually by the all-powerful Cup-holder, with one thing in mind: Win at all costs—sometimes including life itself.
The film covers from when trophy was held by the New York Yacht Club from 1857 to 1983, when the Royal Perth Yacht Club ended the longest winning streak in the history of sport and took The Cup to Australia. It also features the first all-women's team (America True, skippered by Dawn Riley), which beat Dennis Conner, who retrieved The Cup from the Aussies (1987).
"I see as many women at the events as I do men. When I was sailing and racing professionally, it was a rarity to see women on the water. I hope I have helped in some small way to pave the path for women," Panzica continued. Her film features original interviews with Connor, Ellison, Ted Turner and yachtsman Paul Cayard.
"Sailors tend to be outspoken, tenacious and opinionated. They enjoy a practical joke and story telling," Panzica said, adding that it is all part of the experience. "Sailing is the essence of team building, you create a special bond."
"For a decade, I only put my feet on land for a short time. There is something very romantic about being at sea. Sailors are a unique crowd. They are genuine and frank and will risk their lives for you, which is why Ted Turner spent millions of dollars to join their ranks."
Panzica and Cronkite working on 'The America's Cup' not long before he died. photo: courtesy PJ Panzica"During the interview with Ted Turner, Cronkite asked him if he had any regrets. Turner responded, 'Not hiring you, Walter, when I started CNN.' At the conclusion of the interview, Turner invited Cronkite to sail with him on 'Courageous', the boat on which Turner won The America's Cup, when I sailed on 'Fiddler'. It was a great flash from the past."
Transworld International held the rights for "The History of the America's Cup", when The Cup was being held in Spain (2010), and it was broadcast in 13 countries. Unfortunately, it has never aired in the US, so Panzica been taking it to film festivals and other venues like yacht clubs, including her August 8th screening at the venerable St. Francis Yacht Club just down Marina Green from the upstart GGYC.
The film has been very well received from the Napa Valley Film Festival (450 attendees, Nov 2012) to the LA Film Festival (Jun, 2013) and 40 other shows this summer around the nation. Upcoming benefit shows are at the San Diego Yacht Club and the Corinthian in Tiburon, both on August 15th, and the Napa Valley Opera House on August 22nd.
Shellback Rum started promoting the film in April at the Sonoma Film Festival. "They are very savvy to have come aboard to create events around the screenings," said Panzica. "What is better than a sailing film with a rum tasting at a yacht club?"
"I grew up in Northern California fishing with my father and brother," answered Panzica, who lived for seven years in Sausalito and on a houseboat, when we asked how she got into sailing. Although she went to school at Pepperdine, in LA and overlooking the ocean, she only swam and sail boarded.
In Maui with Panzica (lft) and crew member after placing eighth out of 203 teams in the Hana Relay 2012. photo: courtesy of PJ Panzica"I had my first sailboat when I was 23 in the Virgin Islands. I didn't think I would fall in love with racing around the buoy but the friendship, bonding and sportsmanship is incredible."
"I had been racing all over the world for several years, and when I was asked if I would like to come aboard an America's Cup boat in Newport, RI and go for a sail... the rest, as they say, is history."
Indeed, "I sailed as a captain for the New York Yacht Club's America's Cup Challenge 'Young America' [a secondary boat that competes with the syndicate's number one for practice]."
Sailing also segued into film. Panzica cut her teeth on a series called "Latitude" about extreme catamaraning in Halifax, Nova Scotia (produced by IMX production). After working on other films, she founded Lighthouse Productions in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2000. Lighthouse's first film is "The America's Cup".
"I am very into from the heart, boutique productions. For me filmmaking should always have a message and, to be a messenger, you have to understand what that message is. Unless it is from the heart, it is not worth doing," she said.
An avid trekker who currently lives in Tahoe, Panzica enjoys ice climbing in Yosemite. photo: courtesy of PJ PanzicaThey shot interviews in several locations: the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island, Manhattan, Seattle and California. Most of the editing was done in Los Angeles and in San Francisco at Roughhouse Editorial.
"They treat you like family and give you that Bay Area feeling—will do whatever it takes to get the job done," Panzica said. "Incidentally, Oracle now uses [Roughhouse] for final edits on some of their America's Cup film shorts."
"I have a few films in my back pocket I would like to produce," P.J. concluded. "One in particular is on human trafficking. Through my adventures on the water, I have seen many of the best acts of sportsmanship, heroism and kindness. I have also been exposed to ways of life that have made me feel very fortunate for what I have. There are some incredible stories to be told, and I hope I am able to share some of the those stories in the future."
Jay Randy Gordon, The MARINsider, is an author, film fanatic and co-founder of the Sports Mavericks can be reached .
Posted on Aug 10, 2013 - 03:50 PM
by Jay Randy Gordon and Doniphan Blair
Oracle's majestic 72 footers breach the Golden Gate. photo: courtesy GGYCrunneth faster than hell!”
The Bay Area is currently hosting the 34th America's Cup with the Louis Vuitton Cup preliminaries until August 30th and the actual finals September 7-21. In an event where there are no silver medals and the winning team takes home the oldest—and one of the most coveted trophies—in international sports, the stakes are high.
"We have had some 'interesting' times with this America's Cup challenge," winked P.J. Panzica, the director of "The America's Cup: 150 Years In The Making" (2013), when we spoke to her recently.
"The 72 [footer]s are amazing machines—the leading class of racing yachts in the world. 72 feet in length, the wing sails are 130 feet high—the equivalent of a 13-story building. They are very exciting to watch," she said. Although Panzica completed her film a couple of years ago, she updated it to include the 72s currently sailing the San Francisco Bay.
Ironically, although the America's Cup was sold as a fabulous feather-in-the-cap and money-maker for the Bay Area, attendance is down. The number of challengers has dropped from the usual over a dozen to only three Louis Vuitton competitors. This is because the defender, the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) and its sponsor, Oracle of Silicon Valley, have significantly upped the high tech ante.
The modest clubhouse of the Golden Gate Yacht Club where much of this year's America's Cup strategy was hatched. photo: R. GordonAlthough it certainly seems like Oracle-CEO Larry Ellison "sabotaged his own America Cup party," as Bloomberg Businessweek and others have said, "Part of the America's Cup is pushing the tech curve and the envelope 'til it can't go any further," explained P.J. (which stands for Paula Jean; the Panzica is simply Sicilian).
Basically, the defender and the primary challenger decide on the next race's rules, the boat specs and the schedule, usually about two years in advance so syndicates have time to build out. Meanwhile there are all sorts of sub-races, like the Louis Vuitton, currently featuring 45 footers, which are still incredible to watch, especially given there are so many boats in the water at once.
The 72-footer, however, IS a whole 'nother ball game. Hence there are only three qualifying challengers, Italy's Luna Rossa, New Zealand's Emirates and Sweden's Artemis which was in doubt for a while due to the drowning of a key crewmember, British Olympics Medalist, Andrew “Bart” Simpson, in May. (Update: Italy knocked out Sweden on Aug 10).
Similarly, there are not that many good shows about the America's Cup. The over-20 year-old Hollywood offering, "
Larry Ellison winning the America's Cup in Spain, 2010. photo: courtesy Oracle"The Wind Gods" dovetails nicely with the recent release of “The Billionaire and the Mechanic,” by SF Chronicle writer Julian Guthrie. It is a fascinating read about Norbert Bajurin, a former cop and radiator repairman who became the Commodore of GGYC, and Ellison as they set their sites on taking down the Swiss and their rule-rigging, egomaniac and billionaire skipper Ernesto Bertarelli in Spain in 2010.
"Few people achieve really high levels of success without a strong ego," explained Panzica, a striking and charismatic blond who is probably not unfamiliar with such issues. "Before I did the America's Cup, I thought I don't want to be around these egos. But once you are on board, it is part of what makes it exciting."
In addition to her film, the event's sponsors, Red Bull and Nespresso, have released several shorts with unique insights on what it takes to win The Cup. OneWorldOneOcean.org has partnered with The Cup to show eco-awareness vignettes throughout the event and then do a large ocean protection media campaign. Even Tom Cruise and son Connor got in on the act with the odds-on Louis Vuitton favorites, the Kiwis.
Norbert Bajurin, the mechanic of 'The Billionaire and the Mechanic' fame, now Commodore of the GGYC, with his infamous radiators. photo: courtesy C. Lee/SF ChronicleAlthough the winners try to tell the story, Panzica counters with fact. A fast moving survey, her film nails down the sometimes despicable truths about a sport where the rules are invented and then circumvented, usually by the all-powerful Cup-holder, with one thing in mind: Win at all costs—sometimes including life itself.
The film covers from when trophy was held by the New York Yacht Club from 1857 to 1983, when the Royal Perth Yacht Club ended the longest winning streak in the history of sport and took The Cup to Australia. It also features the first all-women's team (America True, skippered by Dawn Riley), which beat Dennis Conner, who retrieved The Cup from the Aussies (1987).
"I see as many women at the events as I do men. When I was sailing and racing professionally, it was a rarity to see women on the water. I hope I have helped in some small way to pave the path for women," Panzica continued. Her film features original interviews with Connor, Ellison, Ted Turner and yachtsman Paul Cayard.
"Sailors tend to be outspoken, tenacious and opinionated. They enjoy a practical joke and story telling," Panzica said, adding that it is all part of the experience. "Sailing is the essence of team building, you create a special bond."
"For a decade, I only put my feet on land for a short time. There is something very romantic about being at sea. Sailors are a unique crowd. They are genuine and frank and will risk their lives for you, which is why Ted Turner spent millions of dollars to join their ranks."
Panzica and Cronkite working on 'The America's Cup' not long before he died. photo: courtesy PJ PanzicaTransworld International held the rights for "The History of the America's Cup", when The Cup was being held in Spain (2010), and it was broadcast in 13 countries. Unfortunately, it has never aired in the US, so Panzica been taking it to film festivals and other venues like yacht clubs, including her August 8th screening at the venerable St. Francis Yacht Club just down Marina Green from the upstart GGYC.
The film has been very well received from the Napa Valley Film Festival (450 attendees, Nov 2012) to the LA Film Festival (Jun, 2013) and 40 other shows this summer around the nation. Upcoming benefit shows are at the San Diego Yacht Club and the Corinthian in Tiburon, both on August 15th, and the Napa Valley Opera House on August 22nd.
Shellback Rum started promoting the film in April at the Sonoma Film Festival. "They are very savvy to have come aboard to create events around the screenings," said Panzica. "What is better than a sailing film with a rum tasting at a yacht club?"
"I grew up in Northern California fishing with my father and brother," answered Panzica, who lived for seven years in Sausalito and on a houseboat, when we asked how she got into sailing. Although she went to school at Pepperdine, in LA and overlooking the ocean, she only swam and sail boarded.
In Maui with Panzica (lft) and crew member after placing eighth out of 203 teams in the Hana Relay 2012. photo: courtesy of PJ Panzica"I had been racing all over the world for several years, and when I was asked if I would like to come aboard an America's Cup boat in Newport, RI and go for a sail... the rest, as they say, is history."
Indeed, "I sailed as a captain for the New York Yacht Club's America's Cup Challenge 'Young America' [a secondary boat that competes with the syndicate's number one for practice]."
Sailing also segued into film. Panzica cut her teeth on a series called "Latitude" about extreme catamaraning in Halifax, Nova Scotia (produced by IMX production). After working on other films, she founded Lighthouse Productions in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2000. Lighthouse's first film is "The America's Cup".
"I am very into from the heart, boutique productions. For me filmmaking should always have a message and, to be a messenger, you have to understand what that message is. Unless it is from the heart, it is not worth doing," she said.
An avid trekker who currently lives in Tahoe, Panzica enjoys ice climbing in Yosemite. photo: courtesy of PJ Panzica"They treat you like family and give you that Bay Area feeling—will do whatever it takes to get the job done," Panzica said. "Incidentally, Oracle now uses [Roughhouse] for final edits on some of their America's Cup film shorts."
"I have a few films in my back pocket I would like to produce," P.J. concluded. "One in particular is on human trafficking. Through my adventures on the water, I have seen many of the best acts of sportsmanship, heroism and kindness. I have also been exposed to ways of life that have made me feel very fortunate for what I have. There are some incredible stories to be told, and I hope I am able to share some of the those stories in the future."
Jay Randy Gordon, The MARINsider, is an author, film fanatic and co-founder of the Sports Mavericks can be reached .
